Tangled in Moonlight: Unshifted (Ava and Lucas)

Chapter 258 Ava: The Distance Between Us

By the looks on everyone's faces, they're thinking the exact thing I am.

"So, we won't only be fighting the enemy. We'll be fighting our friends. Family. Lovers."

My voice is flat and distant, the words feeling like they're coming from thousands of miles away.

"It is possible," Acarus murmurs, rubbing his eyebrow as he sighs. "Without knowing how they do it, how long it

takes, what it involves..."

But my ears aren't listening. I'm thinking back to Sister Miriam and how she popped into my room out of

nowhere to givecryptic warnings.

"Sister Miriam knew what they were doing."

Acarus hesitates. "In a sense, yes."

| pin him with a hard stare. "She knew what they were doing and never told us."

Marcus and Vanessa's gazes go dark; Sister Miriam has been a solid ally of recent times, but her nonanswers

have not endeared her to the wolves.

The man claiming to be Sister Miriam's son holds up his hands. "Don't look atlike that. | do not have power

over the knowledge my mother divulges, or doesn't."

Marcus scowls, and Acarus sighs. "Understand, my mother is full of knowledge. Srelevant. Snot. Things

that never cto pass. Things that did.

Most with clairvoyance go mad, living half in this world and half in another. Whatever information my mother

deigns to share is a gift. It is not fair to put the weight of your world on her shoulders, don't you think? If she

does it for you—then who next? How many more times must she go through several possibilities, never knowing

which will cto pass?"

When he puts it like that...

| shift uncomfortably, realizing that I've shredded my last piece of bread into little more than crumbs. "Where is

she now?"

"She and your dog-wolf are with your alpha. From what | understand, the wolf won't leave his side."

Selene? Not leave Lucas’ side?

That's beyond unexpected, going straight up the ladder to bizarre and out of character.

"Do you know how close | need to be to gain contact with Selene again?" | ask, throwing the question to any of

them to answer.

Acarus shakes his head. "I am no expert on Lycan bonds."

Marcus looks thoughtful. "A bond between low-ranking members of the pack to their alpha is about fifteen miles.

A delta can reach Lucas over thirty miles away. Kellan and Lucas have been known to communicate at fifty miles,

though it requires a great deal of concentration. Most missions are created with these general guidelines of

distance in mind. Of course, these are averages."

This is the first tI've heard it broken down in such a way. "What about mated pairs?"

Vanessa clears her throat. "It depends on the bond between them and their individual strength. Vester can only

reachabout forty miles apart, but | can reach him from as far as one hundred. He can't respond, but he can

receive."

"Can you reach—"

"No." She cutsoff gently, sadness in her eyes.

Of course. She needs to see her mate, too.

So, farther than a hundred miles away. | think back to the times Selene and | have been apart. "I feel like my

range with Selene is much shorter."

"It's a new bond. No matter how close you are with your wolf, it takes tuntil you can think as one. You and

Selene have been at odds, haven't you?"

"No." | frown. "Not at odds, but she's been quieter lately, and | question her more than | used to."

"Growing pains," Marcus says out of nowhere. "Happens to all of us."

As we fall silent, Acarus clears his throat. "Now, as far as traveling to meet your allies—the journey to your pack

is safer in these rural areas," Acarus says, his voice calm and reassuring. "There's little established wolf presence

here, so there has been no war."

My heart leaps in joy, but Vanessa's brow furrows in confusion.

"Wait," she interjects. "If there's no wolf presence, how is Lucas being treated in a hospital?"

It's a valid question, one I hadn't even thought to ask. My mind had been so focused on the possibility of seeing

Lucas that I'd overlooked the logistics.

Acarus nods, acknowledging Vanessa's point. "He's in a small hospital run by supernaturals with no affiliations.

They're registered supernaturals, to be clear."

Marcus frowns, his eyes narrowing with suspicion. "There are no supernatural communities on the far border."

But Acarus doesn't seem fazed by Marcus's doubt. "These are registered supernaturals who have chosen to

integrate with human society. They're not part of established communities in the traditional sense, though they

abide by the laws of the land."

But if there are supernaturals in this place, how can it be safe?

Acarus glances at me, seeming to understanding my unspoken question. "While human cities have been

attacked, they are all major cities or those with established pack presences. The country is still safe, for now."

For now. For how long, though?

Marcus grunts. "Do you have a map?"

"I do." Acarus gets up immediately, heading to a large cabinet. "There's more news that should make you happy,

Ava," he adds over his shoulder.

"What?"

"Your friend—the one liberated from the Mad Prince's dungeon—should be there soon. These are refugees from

the supernatural communities to the north."

My heart beats furiously. "Lisa's coming?"

Knowing she's safe and being able to see her with my own eyes are two very different things. Knowing I'll be

reunited with the people | care about most has my limbs limp with relief, despite the horrors and atrocity outside

of this house. "That's wonderful. Do you know how she's doing? Who she's with? Is she okay?

Healing fine?"

"She's doing well, from what | hear. Aside from malnutrition, she's been fine. | asstrauma as well, but they

aren't great with therapy in that community. Not very modern. Supernatural mental health falls behind advances

in modern medicine."

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